Frequently Asked Questions

We did! We are Grover and Scarlet, and we are the people behind the TasteTequila.com, a blog dedicated to our love of tequila! Our blog has been around for several years, and we've learned a lot in that time. (We even moved to Mexico for 2 years just so we could study tequila at the source!) Those experiences are what we used to create the Tequila Matchmaker app.

2a) Why did you create this app?

Now that mobile devices are commonplace, we wanted to create a tool that would enable us to keep track of our tasting notes. We both have different preferences when it comes to tequila, and with 1,680 (and counting) tequila brands in the market, we needed a way to easily store and access our tasting notes. So we built this app to help us (and others) keep track of what we were tasting.

3) How did you come up with the tequila rating system used in this app?

Great question! This was was the most challenging part of the process, and it started a full 2-years before we released the app. This was one of the main reasons we moved to Mexico - so we could learn from industry experts. The rating process we are using in the app is a blend: Part of it comes from the "official" tequila evaluation techniques used by professional tequila tasters (catadors) in Mexico. This is worth 80% of the total point score.

The other 20% comes from what we like to call "real-world social metrics", which are the important non-flavor questions asked by tequila consumers (a.k.a. "real people"), that never show up in any other ratings system. These are questions that people ask every day, such as, "Would you recommend this tequila to a friend?", and "Would you buy/drink this tequila again?", and "Is this tequila worth the price you paid for it?" If a person tells you that they'd re-buy a bottle of tequila if they ran out of it, wouldn't that mean something to you?

We thought it was important to include both of these types of factors into the rating system.

4) What do the points in my ratings really mean?

The points that you score a tequila only indicate what you personally think of that tequila, and should be used by you to keep track of what flavor profiles you prefer. If you score a tequila low, that does not mean that a tequila is "bad" - it just means that this particular tequila is not right for you.

It's important to remember that there are many different tequilas in the world, and each has its own unique flavor profile. Tequila, like wine, is a very complex product, and profiles can vary tremendously.

We use your overall score of a tequila, as well as the individual scores you assign to various attributes of a tequila, to match you with others that you may enjoy. For example, if you like a tequila that has intense wood notes and a long finish, we can look for other tequilas with those qualities.

5) It looks like a lot of work went into this. Why is this app free?

Because we both have day jobs? Ok, that's not a great answer, but it's true. We built this app in our spare time, and we did it because we thought a) it would be cool, b) other people may find it useful, and c) we wanted to give back to a community that gave us so much.

If it ends up being super popular, and people start requesting all sorts of new cool features, maybe we'll end up charging something for it. But we just think it's more fun if it's free. :-)

6) Where do you get your data?

It depends on what data you're talking about. We get information on tequila brands and distilleries from the CRT (Tequila Regulatory Council), which is the governing body that oversees all tequila production.

But most of the other data comes from users like you. For example, the names and locations of bars, restaurants, and retailers that specialize in tequila are sent to us by our users. Many times our members will even send us pictures of the tequila selection at their favorite bar or retail store so we can add their inventory to the list. Sometimes a tequila brand will send us a list of all the places that sell their product, and sometimes a restaurant will send us their tequila menu.

We manage the database as best we can, and encourage people to share what they're finding out there so everyone can benefit. If you see anything that should be added, edited, or removed, please let us know!

7) How can tequila brands and/or products be added to your database?

If a particular tequila brand is not listed, please send us an email and we will add it right away. We've been able to establish a pretty long list of known tequila brands, but we know we don't have every brand that's ever been created.

If a tequila brand is listed, but a specific tequila isn't, you can add it yourself directly through the app. When you do this, we will see that you've added a tequila to your own personal area, and will consider adding it to the full database.

If you want us to add a brand or a specific tequila, please contact us directly with a request. When doing this, please remember to give us all the information that we need, such as:

- The name of the brand
- The name of the product
- The type of product it is (blanco, reposado, añejo, etc.)
- The NOM printed on the bottle (a 4-digit identifier)
- Any production process information that you may be able to share

We are doing our best to keep our database up-to-date and accurate, and will accept all the help we can get!

7b) What are "Premium Tequila Brand Partners", and how can a brand be included in that list?

These are tequila brands who support the Tequila Matchmaker app. This is an invitation-only group of high quality tequila brands that have earned our respect. This support can come in a variety of ways, including:

- Fully supporting the objectives and independence that are the foundation of the app
- Providing education and research essential to the construction of the app
- Helping to spread the word about the app though marketing, email, and word-of-mouth
- Sharing useful data about worthwhile tequila establishments around the world
- Contributing to the success of the app through participation on our Board of Advisors
- Contribution of financial support that helps to cover operating expenses
- or any combination of the items above.

If a brand is listed here, you can feel 100% secure that their tequila is of the highest quality possible.

8) How can a tequila bar, restaurant, or retailer be added to your database?

To add a "tequila establishment" to our database, you should contact us with the name of the business, type (bar, restaurant, retailer), and where it is located. We are very selective about the places we list because we want our users to have the best possible tequila experience. When we receive suggestions, we do some checking on our own to see if it is worthy of adding.

If you found a great tequila spot, and want to share it with the rest of the Tequila Matchmaker community, please let us know. Take a photo of the store shelf, menu, or bar and email it to us! We LOVE when people do that!

9) What devices will the Tequila Matchmaker app work on?

The current version (v1.3) supports all iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch) devices. This version of the app will run on iPads too, but it will use the same small screen interface of the iPhone. We will have a version for Android devices in a few weeks.

10) Where do your news items come from?

Over the years we've made friends with a lot of great people in the tequila community. Many of them are rich sources of information and entertainment. We keep an eye on them all and add their stories, videos, blog posts, and interesting links to our news feed. The only place you can get this feed is from within the app itself.

11) What is "Fingerprinting"?

If you want to get REALLY nerdy about it, you can choose to "fingerprint" a tequila. This is mainly used by really dedicated tequila fans, and it allows them (and you, if you wish) to describe what you're smelling and tasting in a particular tequila. This helps us to describe the flavors, aromas and sensations involved when tasting a specific tequila - and is a big component to our matching algorithm.

It's important to understand the differences between "Rating" and "Fingerprinting" a tequila. Rating is a subjective process that's all about your own personal preferences. Do you like it, or not? "Fingerprinting" is just the opposite. It's a process of describing, objectively, what the tequila smells like, tastes like, and feels like in your mouth.

12) Will the Tequila Matchmaker app work if I don't have an Internet connection?

Most functions are designed to work without an Internet connection. However, since our matching algorithm happens on our servers, in order to be matched, you'll need to connect to the Internet.

There are other features within the app that require an Internet connection, like asking the app to display the tequila menu of a bar or restaurant, or using the GPS location services to locate a particular tequila nearest you. We try to maintain a balance so that if/when you have a less than solid network connection, the all can still be functional.

In order to log in for the first time, you will need an account, and you will need to log into the system for the first time. This initial process requires an active Internet connection. An account is necessary because we need to store your ratings, "likes", and preferences on our servers so that we can provide matching for you.

The NOM Database is designed to still work as usual, and the full list of brands and products will still be available on your device even without an active Internet connection. Rating a tequila will always work with or without an Internet connection. But if you want to update anything, you'll need to be connected to the Internet at that time.

13) What is your privacy policy?

Our Privacy Policy is online, available for you to read if you wish. But here's the gist of it: We won't share your email address or any personally identifiable information to anyone for any reason. We may, at some point in the future, use your data to generate interesting reports on tequila trends, popular flavor profiles, or anything else that may be of interest to the tequila community - but we will never reveal any personal information about you.

14) How does your tequila matching algorithm actually work?

We spent a great deal of time coming up with the recipe for our proprietary algorithm, and were able to identify 9 different components to the formula.

During our 2 years living full-time in Mexico, we studied under some very talented people in the industry. These people directly, and indirectly, helped us to perfect the algorithm.

Several parts of the recipe need to remain a secret, but we can say that we analyze all the ratings in our system to give us one point of reference. Another part of the equation comes from the aroma and flavor profile structure that our expert users enter into the system.

The rest needs to remain a secret. :-)

15) Who are your experts? How does someone become an "expert"?

There are certain members of our community who are considered "TasteTequila Experts." These are people who have at least some level of formal tequila industry training, a full understanding of our rating and profiling system, and a tremendous passion for tequila.

But one thing is for sure - we believe that becoming an "expert" in tequila is a life-long pursuit. We do not consider ourselves "tequila industry experts", and we're not giving ourselves some imaginary authority to assign that label at our choosing. We are just passionate tequila fans with some basic industry training. We expect our learning and growing will continue for life.

If you are interested in becoming a TasteTequila Expert, you should start by installing the app and rating and profiling at least 10 tequilas. After you've done so, please feel free to contact us and introduce yourself. We'd love to talk to you about it. (It is also entirely possible that we may contact you first when we see that you are taking the time to complete tequila profiles. We pay attention to this kind of activity.)

16) What if I have feedback or questions about the Tequila Matchmaker app?

If you have a technical support question, please contact us here (on this website) using our support form. All other comments, feedback, suggestions can be sent to us from the contact form found in our blog, at TasteTequila.com.